Chapter 7

'Tell Me. No. Don't Tell Me.'

Previously in Chapter 6:

"Ethan told he loved me for the first time tonight." Simone whispered as she sank back to the floor.

"Ahhhh!" nodded Greenlee.

"So?" asked Dani.

"That's not good." Replied Greenlee. Dani sat looking at Greenlee as if she'd just grown horns. Greenlee unfazed went on, "You don't want first time he tells you he loves you to be while you're …you know."

"But he does love you right?" Dani asked turning to look Simone in the eye, "Did he say it again since then?"

"Yes. But he then he said it to make me feel better."

"But do you think he means it?" Dani asked.

"Maybe we're asking the wrong questions. Simone, do you love him?" Greenlee asked.

Simone sat frozen on the floor staring at the tall handsome man at the door.

"Do you love me?" Ethan's eyes silently asked her as he took a deep breath and closed the door behind him.

"We'll talk to you later Simone," whispered Greenlee as she and Dani stood to leave pausing to give her a hug.

"Please help yourself to whatever you like," Ethan bent down and took a bottle of champagne from the pile and handed it to Greenlee and boxes of candy to Dani and Lily.

Lily took the candy and looked up, "Wow. You're really big Ethan. I don't think it was very smart for you to be on top of Simone. You look heavy. No wonder why she looked so uncomfortable when I saw her on the news." Lily stated shaking her head but then she remembered something and then brightened, "Ethan, is it all right if I ask you a few questions?"

"No!" Dani, Simone and Greenlee shouted all at once. Dani stood next to Lily and pointed to the door, "Lily. Ethan and Simone need to talk about some things. It's late. You shouldn't even be here. Did you call your father and tell him you were with Greenlee and me? I'm sure he's worried. Why don't we go into the hall and you can call him? After that if you have questions why don't you ask me? I'll answer them on the way home. Any questions. Really anything. Anything at all." Dani led Lily to the elevator door speaking rapidly in order to keep Lily from saying anything but as soon as she took a breath…

"But I didn't get to ask any questions on my list." Lily complained flipping through her notebook. Looking over her shoulder and back into the room Lily asked, "Is Greenlee staying? Because she should really leave if they're going to have sex again. Unless they want us to watch. Is that why they were on the news? Do they want people to watch? Why would they want people to watch?"

Slightly confused Ethan cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, to which Simone responded by closing her eyes and shaking her head. It was clear that he shouldn't ask about Lily. Turning his attention back to Greenlee Ethan said, "I want to thank you for coming."

"We came for Simone." Greenlee replied pointedly bending down to grab a box of chocolate for herself, "She's our friend and we love her."

Closing the door behind the girls Ethan turned and walked to Simone. Wrapping his arms around her he gently stroked her back and whispered, "I think we need to talk."

"How did it go in the boardroom?" Simone asked nervously.

"I want to finish our conversation. I'd like to know where we stand." Ethan was exasperated. It had been a long day and his head was spinning from everything that had happened in the past couple of days.

"Won't you tell me what happened first? Were they angry?"

Ethan measured the fact that she was worried for him against his own desire to hear her answer before changing the subject to reply to her question. "Angry? No. One or two of the board may have been a bit frightened of me." Ethan stopped to remove his jacket and tie. "It seems that Brad Stern had called the office and had reached my secretary before she had left. Kate told him I was alone and waiting for his call. Brad claims he thought it was a sign. Apparently Lauren Clark got a hold of him earlier and had convinced him it would be a good photo op for Cambias Industries if she could run a story about the merger and CambiasCompTech. Furthermore, she suggested that it would be really good press for me after what happened with the scouts. But the deal is…"

"It's a 'Surprise We're Live' segment." Simone sighed. Ethan nodded.

"Brad seems contrite and as compensation he is working with WGPV to staunch the media."

"It's too late. Lauren already has it up on the Internet. I told you she hates me. It's what? 11:30? I bet you David Letterman is making jokes about this right now." Simone sighed, "I'm sorry Ethan."

"We aren't back to this again. Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault. If anyone should be sorry it should be me. She wouldn't have had access into the building if it weren't for Brad."

"Brad" Simone growled her face so serious that Ethan had to laugh.

"Please," Ethan said taking Simone into his arms "If you're going to growl someone's name make it mine. But do it softer." Ethan teased her bending his head to touch his warm lips to hers. Soon his searing kisses left her knees week and her head swimming.

"What's wrong with you? Why aren't you pounding your head on the desk?" Simone demanded as she placed her hands flat on his broad chest and tried to push Ethan from her.

"Because I've met with the board." Ethan shrugged. "CI stock was actually even stronger today than it was last week. If things continue to stay fine at work and with you then I can live with the media harassment for a bit." Taking a deep breath Ethan placed his hands on Simone's hips and pulled her toward him once again. "Now come back here."

"MmmHhmmm…not until you've eaten something." Simone insisted pulling away again. "I know you didn't have anything for dinner so don't even think of kissing me until after you've had something." Simone handed him a container, "The girls brought you some hot chicken soup too."

"I am ravenous." Ethan grinned as he bent his head to kiss Simone.

"After you eat something" Simone insisted slapping at the hands that held her.

"Well I'm trying but you keep pulling away."

"Ethan!"

"Oh all right." Looking at the paper bags that Dani and Greenlee had left at the desk Ethan found what he was looking for. Teasingly he asked, "Did you drink your soup like a good girl?"

"Yes."

"Excellent, because this is for you." Ethan handed Simone a small paper box tied with a string. Simone opened it and gasped.

"Mmmmmm…Ethan." Simone murmured closing her eyes with that first bite of chocolate mousse.

Ethan laughed harder and reached for her as he closely watched her face, "You look positively orgasmic. I'm slightly insulted that a dessert could get that response from you but I'm also very aroused. Kiss me."

"MmHhmm. Eat your soup first. I'll even save you some dessert."

Ethan opened his container of soup and drank the contents in three quick gulps. "There now we can get back to the business at hand."

"But I haven't finished!" Simone protested.

"Good!" Ethan took a finger of her desert and brought his finger to the pulse point of her neck. Ethan nibbled until she gasping. Whispering in her ear Ethan asked, "Why won't you tell me you love me?"

"Why now Ethan? Why do you want to talk about this now?" Simone asked pulling away from his arms.

Suddenly sober Ethan held Simone firmly by the shoulders and looked straight into her warm dark eyes, "Because I'm falling hard Simone and I don't want to fall alone. I'm offering you my heart. What are you afraid of? A couple of months ago you were the one that was talking about love. Convincing me that it does exist and that you can have it all. What changed? Is it me? If you don't…if you can't love me I need to know."

"Ethan." Simone began.

"Forget it. Don't tell me." Ethan eyes wide sank to the sofa sure that he wasn't going to like what she was going to say. Why? Why did I say anything? Was it too soon? Or was it that I waited too long? Ethan sensed that he wasn't going to like what he was going to hear.

Simone straddled Ethan's lap and gently cradled his warm face in her hands and looked into his sweet brown eyes. "It isn't how I feel or even what I believe what you feel. I just don't think you're ready for this. There's so much happening. Are you sure that you're saying this because you want to? You know you don't have to say anything just to make me feel better. I think you need to ask yourself why you want to talk about this now."

Ethan spoke softly his chin resting on the top of her head, his hands clutching her back, "Because I want you so badly that I hurt. Because it's been eating me up that I've been too afraid to talk, to tell you how I felt. I've been avoiding this for too long and I've been feeling like a coward. I want you here with me. I want you in my life. I want more than to live in the moment. I want a future. What else is there?"

"Ethan. I'm here." Simone whispered looking up into his face. Taking his face in her hands she drew his focus to her so she could look him in the eye she continued, "I'm not going anywhere. I think you might be sorry someday, but you're never going to be able to get rid of me."

"All right. That'll do for now." Ethan sighed. He pulled her close and kissed her swollen lips until she was wriggling in his lap. Laughing Ethan stopped kissing her and lifted her setting her feet on the floor. Ethan went to his closet and pulled out his coat and umbrella. "Here, put this on." Ethan handed Simone his trench coat and laughed when the sleeves engulfed her arms and the hem draped the floor. "It's not much of a disguise but it might help." Ethan tucked her hair into the coat, buttoned to her neck and flipped the collar up.

"Where are we going?"

"I have no intention of making love to you in this office again." Ethan replied. But after a moment Ethan grinned and added, "Well I'm not going to make love to you in this office again tonight. I'm taking you home."

Chapter 8 'Someone's In Trouble'

The tables have turned.